UK firm Charles Russell Speechlys has made its second Asia partner hire of the year after welcoming funds expert Gaven Cheong in Hong Kong from Tiang & Partners, PwC’s member firm in the city.
Last month, CRS expanded its Singapore office, established in 2023, with the addition of corporate partner Tun Zaw Mra.
With nearly two decades of fund formation expertise, Cheong’s practice focuses on structuring diverse collective investment schemes, including the establishment of hedge funds, real estate funds, private equity arrangements, hybrid funds, and various private investment vehicles. He also provides regulatory guidance on investment management activities.
Notably, Cheong specialises on crypto fund formation and offering regulatory advice, having helped obtain the first regulatory licences in Hong Kong for the management of a fund of crypto funds and shortly after that, a pure virtual assets fund.
In 2021, Cheong joined Tiang & Partners, where he specialized in fund establishment and regulatory matters, both contentious and non-contentious, as head of investment funds. Cheong’s experiences also include an eight-year stint as partner at Simmons and Simmons, preceded by positions at Sidley Austin, Clifford Chance, and Herbert Smith. He started his career in Australia with the legacy Mallesons Stephen Jaques.
In a statement, David Collins, partner responsible for CRS’ business advisory & transaction services, said Cheong’s addition has “significantly extended the firm’s reach in the hedge fund and private equity arena in Asia across both traditional finance and crypto."
Added Simon Green, partner and head of Asia at CRS: “Gaven’s appointment marks our sixth partner hire across Hong Kong and Singapore since the start of last year and underlines our international growth ambitions.” Green said the firm will continue to grow in Asia “in line with market trends and client demand.”
CRS has been steadily growing its Hong Kong office since last year, adding family law partner Vanessa Duff, dispute partner Stephen Chan, and corporate partner Shirley Fu, who brought with her a team of four lawyers following the closure of her firm SF Lawyers, KPMG’s law firm in Hong Kong. With Cheong’s arrival, the firm currently has eight full-time partners in Hong Kong.
Established in 2017, Tiang & Partners now has 11 lawyers, including five partners.
